Glitch Girl

Henry barely opened his eyes when he saw Zhmak in front of him, poking him with his wet nose. The man adjusted his glasses and looked around. He was in a small, dark room, where the only source of light was a dim bulb, barely illuminating the walls covered in gray mold. The door, massive and made of solid steel, inspired horror: it clearly indicated that escape was impossible. The room was completely devoid of furniture - only a rough stone bed stood in the corner, as if testifying to long hours of loneliness and despair. Henry listened: the muffled voices of other prisoners hung in the air, their words merging into an unclear echo, reflecting off the walls. "It looks like we're in trouble..." he said, turning to Zhmak, who was looking at him with curiosity. The cat began to bang his whole body against the door, causing the guard's displeasure. He opened the latch in irritation and looked out through the small window. "Hey, be quiet there!" he shouted, his eyes flashing menacingly, and closed the latch again. Zhmak blinked, looking at Henry, who scratched his head thoughtfully. The cat suddenly jumped into his arms, ready for action. "Oh, right! Zhmak can possess other creatures! I saw Honidesu use it against the monster..." Henry thought. "Oh, come on!" He started to loudly kick the door. The guard got angry again and opened the latch again. "You understand that you're wasting your time like this and just annoying me?!" Henry quickly pushed Zhmak through the window. The guard raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw the square cat peeking out from behind the door. Zhmak, being cunning and agile, instantly possessed him. The guard's eyes changed color to yellow. At first he resisted, but soon the cat completely took over his body. Another cultist noticed him, but before he could understand what was happening, Zmak knocked him out, took off his cultist clothes and mask. The door swung open, and Henry sighed in relief: "Phew, it worked. Thank you!" "Zhmak," said the captured body of the guard and handed him the suit. "Yes, Zhmak," the man smiled and took the things to blend in with the other cultists. When Henry put on the mask and took off his glasses, he began to squint. "Damn, bad idea, really bad... Do they not respect people with poor eyesight here at all?" Thinking about his next move, Henry couldn't help but worry about the other prisoners in the dungeon. The thought that they could remain trapped in fear and despair without help weighed heavily on his mind. "Zhmak, let's let them all out!" "Zhmak." They quietly opened all the doors. Henry and Zhmak didn't linger, they simply gave these people a choice and moved on. When Henry reached the end of the corridor, he bumped into a man. The stranger frowned at first, but then recognized Zhmak and Henry as his own. "Hello, brothers," he said and smiled. Henry tried to look the other man up and down, noticing his black cultist clothes. He decided to play along. "I'm Anry," he said, holding out his hand. "Sorry, I was just in a hurry and didn't notice you..." "Leo, it's okay," the other man interrupted, squeezing Henry's hand tightly. "Nice to meet you, brother." Leo looked at Zhmak. "Is Anry new here?" Zhmak nodded approvingly. "Ah, I see!" Leo laughed. "People in this place accept everyone with great love. Like brothers and sisters, we support and care for each other. By the way, can I ask what attracts you to the idea of ​​the Great Disruption?" "I see," Henry answered, trying to speak calmly and collectedly. "I..." Before Henry could finish speaking, the prisoners suddenly almost knocked everyone off their feet, heading for the exit. "Fuck, who released the prisoners?" Leo shouted furiously. "Catch them!" Zhmak pounced on the cultist and knocked him out. "We need to find the others..." — Henry thought and headed for the corridor with several doors. He heard Bonnie screaming: "Let me go!" The man did not hesitate and tried to open the door, but it was locked. Luckily, the door was wooden, not iron, which meant there was a chance that something could knock it down. "Damn it!" Henry said. "I have to find something fast!" He ran down the hallway and saw an open door, it was dark inside the room. There were a bunch of things lying there. "I can barely see a damn thing!" the man exclaimed. Henry took off his mask and put on his glasses. He found a switch and turned on the light. Henry noticed phones and two axes among the things. "Those must be Bonnie's axes..." He took the weapons and returned to the locked door. The man began to mercilessly drive the blades of both axes into the massive barrier, not allowing himself a moment of rest. The blows were so strong that it seemed like the door itself was about to crack from the onslaught. Again and again he struck, feeling how the wood yielded to his efforts. Suddenly, black dust rose into the air from the cracks that had formed on the surface of the door, enveloping his face. He coughed violently, and the world around him began to blur, as if reality was losing its clarity. At that moment, Henry saw a vague silhouette of a frightened woman dressed in sectarian clothing in front of him. She looked like a ghost, but before he could comprehend what was happening, her image disappeared, dissolving into thin air. Panic seized him, and he felt his legs giving way. The next moment, he collapsed on the floor, plunging into darkness. Henry tried to quickly come to his senses. He looked around. There was no one in the room except him and the white-haired girl sitting on the floor. She was sitting facing the opposite direction. "Honidesu?" Henry asked her. At that moment, she turned around, and Henry saw a shadow of sadness on her face, as if a cloud had eclipsed the bright sun. "M-Maria?" he said in surprise, his voice trembling with excitement. "Daddy!" the girl exclaimed, and, unable to contain her emotions, threw herself on his neck, hugging him tightly, as if she was afraid that he would disappear again. "Maria..." Henry sobbed, his eyes filled with tears of joy and bitterness at the same time. "I missed you so much, daughter!" She smiled, but this smile was strange, as if some secret was hidden behind it. "People often believe that when someone dies, their soul goes to the land of the dead... " she began, her voice sounded melodic, but there was a note of sadness in it. Henry looked at her in surprise, trying to grasp the meaning of her words. "But sometimes things don't turn out the way you'd like..." Maria continued, her gaze becoming cold and distant. Henry's heart sank in his chest. He looked closely at his daughter and noticed that something was wrong. Her eyes had lost their former sparkle of life. They became empty and lifeless, like glass balls. The smile on her face looked more like a distorted grimace, as if she was carefully hiding something. "Maria, what's happening?" he breathed, his voice shaking with fear and bewilderment. But Maria was silent. The smile disappeared, and her eyes narrowed into a cold, calculating look. The silence around them grew louder, and Henry felt fear take over him. "You'll stay here forever, Henry. Forever..." Henry tried with all his might to break free, but Maria had an iron grip. Everything around them began to fall apart. The world around them seemed to be falling apart, turning into emptiness and darkness. Maria began to melt slowly, like wax. Henry closed his eyes, trying to push away the horror of what was happening. He tried to convince himself that it was all a nightmare, that he would wake up and everything would go back to normal.